New name for cruise ship line

New name for cruise ship line

Sir Richard Branson last week announced a new name for his forthcoming cruise ship line – Virgin Voyages.

The first sailing is planned out of Miami in 2020 to the Caribbean.

The vessels are being built by the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri with a capacity of at least 2,700 passengers, considered midsize by the cruise industry.

Branson promised that Virgin Voyages would create boutique experiences for travelers that are as “magical” as those offered by his other enterprises, which include Virgin Atlantic airline, a Chicago hotel and a game reserve and lodge in South Africa.

The company is also developing spaceship tourism through the Virgin Galactic venture.

Branson said Virgin Voyages will be the first major cruise line to adopt a new clean energy technology called Climeon Ocean that transforms waste heat from ship engines into electricity for onboard use.

Zion may start limiting visitors

SALT LAKE CITY

Zion National Park’s continuing popularity has sparked discussions of limiting the number of visitors.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that park officials are planning several public meetings to discuss how to combat overwhelmed facilities and increased land erosion.

Zion is expecting a record 4 million visitors this year.

Among officials’ proposals is to cap the number of daily visitors through a reservation system instead of a first-come first-served basis.

The park is aiming to have a final plan by fall 2018.

Stone Trail guide

MONTPELIER, Vt.

The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has published The Vermont Stone Trail guide to promote the state’s history in quarrying, manufacturing and using granite, marble and slate.

The free guide gives information on historical, artistic, cultural and recreational experiences related to stone.

It has descriptions of 95 sites on the trail.

Tourism officials say the guide gives visitors a chance to learn about the state’s geology and history and also see the work of modern artists at their studios and galleries.

The guide can be found at the state’s 17 welcome centers or online at Vermont-Vacation.com.

New York to invest $55M in tourism

ALBANY, N.Y.

New York state has a $55 million plan to increase tourism.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that the money will pay for advertisements and campaigns to promote state attractions, as well as upgrades to state welcome centers and efforts to highlight locally made food and beverages.

The Democratic governor’s announcement came after a gathering in Albany that focused on ways to spur tourism and the state’s burgeoning beer, wine, cider and spirits industries.

The state also announced two historical tourism focuses for 2017: the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York and the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal.

Geography quiz

Q. Which state would you visit to view Effigy Mounds National Monument?

A. Iowa. The prehistoric mounds shaped like mammals and birds can be found along the Mississippi River in the northeast part of the state.

Combined dispatches